The Saga of Harry Potter
by SkaldofJorvik
Summary: Life had been nothing but cruel to one young Harry Potter. But one day while fleeing from his bullies, he happens upon an extrodianry circumstance. Although it contained a hefty price, Harry took this opportunity for freedom. From abused and frail child to blind god of magic, read the Saga of Harry Potter.


_**An: I don't own Harry Potter. Furthermore, this story is going to feature a god-like Harry based off of the Odin of Norse myths and folklore. **_

To say life has not gone very well for the six year old Harry Potter would be a drastic understatement. He wasn't aware of it, but his parents had been killed by an evil wizard who sought to destroy the young child as an babe. The reason for this was a prophecy that foretold of the wizard's demise to the newborn. Irronically, it was the attmpted murder of the child that doomed the dark wizard as it's own foul magic had backfired off the infant. Though while Harry had succeeded in destroying the dark wizard at only a year old, it had cost him his parents lives when they tried to hold off the dark wizard. Although they were formidable magic users themselves, they had been betrayed by one they had thought their friend and were ill prepared for the battle.

Orphaned, and then left at his Aunt and Uncle's by another set of wizards, Harry had grown up being told his parents had died in a drink fueled car accident. Additionally, the Aunt and Uncle despised the boy for his magical blood. His Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley had no love for the child, despite being their kin. Treated as a pariah, and blamed for any wrong that happened, Harry was subjected to a tragic upbringing. His cousin, the son of his vile Aunt and Uncle named Dudley, was a very large boy for his age and would frequently bully and harass Harry. A favorite game of his was "Harry Hunting" with his equally brutish friends. Harry learned quickly that flight was far more beneficial to fighting, as his slender frame was ill suited for martial combat against much larger and numerous foes. It was during one of these flights from the bullies that Harry happened upon a situation that would forever alter his life.

Harry sprinted as fast as his body would allow him from his attackers further and further away from the residence they had in Little Whinging. The much larger boys did not have the stamina to keep up with the smaller child as they watched him gain more and more distance. But they would not be denied their fun so easily. Pushing forth with more ill intent than they previously held, the bullies chased Harry far away from the homes and builds of the county. Harry had no intention of letting himself be caught, but he could only run for so long. Worse still, even if he evaded them here, there would always be the next day, and the next, and the week after that. He would never be safe, he would never be free. He couldn't ask his Aunt and Uncle to get Dudley to stop, they would just further encourage the large boy and probably blame Harry for not letting Dudley and his friends for having their fun.

Seeing a forest off in the distance, Harry sought temporary refuge from his pursuers. Maybe he could find a tree to climb, or perhaps some hollowed out tree. If he was lucky, maybe some woodland spirit would take him away from the Dursley's like the old folk tales. He thought living with a Fey spirit would probably be better than his current situation. Sadly though, he knew such magical beings were merely myth.

Taking off into the forest, Harry turned to see his cousin and his friends making their way towards the woods. Looking around, Harry couldn't help but notice all the possible instruments they could use to let out their anger. Sticks, rocks, possibly a combination of sticks and rocks, all seemed to be a potential means of inflicting pain onto his person. Having no intention of simply letting them get to him though, Harry ran deeper into the wood, not noticing that it had become much deeper and dense than a small forest in Surrey should be.

As he ran, he could hear the breaking of branches and curses coming from his pursuers. They were gaining on him now, his energy mostly gone, and now in the center of a forest where there were no witnesses to help him. Frantically, Harry began to look for possible means of hiding, perhaps he could climb a tree? As he rushed to the nearest one though and sought to climb, his head was struck from the side by a small rock. His glasses, something he was rather blind without, fell to the forest floor and with a crack shatter upon a rock. Harry likewise was knocked to the ground from the impact as blood dripped from the side of his head. Nearly blind, prone, and now groggy, Harry could only faintly make out the silhouettes approaching, the large forms of the boys may as well have been ogres.

"G…..gave….us…..quite..the...run...there, Potter. But….now….we...got..you!" The winded sound of his cousins voice came from the center of the group. The boy seemed close to heaving as he gasped out and leaned on a nearby tree. Harry couldn't see, but he could hear that the other boys were in the same out of shape condition. This instilled some hope, as if he could get up and run, perhaps he could blindly flee from them in their state.

"Not quite yet." Harry shot back and stumbled to his feet in a sprint. Mostly blind, and still a little groggy, Harry rushed in the opposite way of the boys. He made it surprisingly far for a mostly blind six year old sprinting through a forest. But luck wasn't on his side.

Tripping over a root, Harry tumbled down a hill, hitting rocks and branches on his way down until coming to a stop half way in a creek bed. Whatever energy he had summoned up was gone, crushed by his misfortunes like his bones were soon to be crushed by the approaching mob. He could hear them coming, shouts coming not too far off. Crawling across the forest floor, Harry drug himself through the small creek to the other side, still trying for an escape. His hands came to what seemed to be a stone wall on the other side of the creek, halting his escape.

The sounds of people sliding down a hill came too quickly for his liking as his cousin and other soon to be attackers had arrived. Sighing, Harry placed his hand on the rock and slowly hoisted himself to his feet. Leaning on the rock he turned to see the ogre like shadows across the stream. Slowly making fists, Harry held his hands up in a guard awaiting the incoming onslaught. If he was going to die, he was going to at least do it standing.

"Oooo, going to fight now are you Potter? Well good, that makes it more fun for us." He heard his cousin as the ogres cracked knuckles and slowly approached him. The fists came light lightning bolts to the young boy. Not being able to see most of his attackers made his attempt to fight rather foolish. But as the bruised his sides, and loosened his teeth, Harry shot his right fist out and connected with someone. Hearing the sounds of his cousin crying out gave Harry enough satisfaction with himself that he was able to make s small smile through the blood and pain. From the sounds of the coughing, Harry had gotten him in the throat. Dudley's band temporarily halted their assault on Harry as they saw their leader grab at his throat.

"..._That's it! We were just going to rough you up, now I'm going to kill you!"_ His cousin's hoarse voice promised. Awaiting the end, Harry braced up as best he could. However, no fists came, no sounds of approach either. Quite the opposite in fact, he could hear footsteps making their way back across the stream. They were retreating. Harry slowly opened his eyes as he could barely see through the red and the fuzziness of his vision. But he saw enough the see the boys were backing away, and looking up above him.

The sounds of growling came from only a few feet above his head as Harry slowly looked up. Out of focus as they were, the two huge quadrupedal masses were still an intimidating sight. The growl and snarl sounds gave away the figures as wolves, and big ones too. The two monsters in canine form lept from their position and in front of Harry, snarling further at his attackers. One let out a thunderous bark at the group, shattering their resolve to stay as they turned and fled from the creatures. The other turned its head towards Harry, glowing orange eyes visible even in his current state. Harry pushed his body as far against the rock as he could as the wolf slowly stalked towards him. He had survived the beating only to now be food for the wolves. Luck truly wasn't on his side.

While luck may have entirely abandoned Harry Potter, Fate had not. The wolf sniffed the bruised and bloodied boy as the other shot off after the group. He could hear their screams of terror echo across the forest. He was certain they were dead, but their screams never stopped as they grew fainter and fainter with distance. He had little time to worry about that though as the wolf in front of his ran its tongue across his bloodied face. He expected it to begin gnawing and ripping him apart having tasted his blood, instead it just continued to lick him. His fear turned to confusion as the wolf behaved more like an excited dog than a bloodthirsty killer as it wagged its tail and continued to drench his face in wolf slobber. Raising his hand slowly, Harry began to pat the wolf on its snout as it began to wag its tail. The sounds of the second wolf coming back altered Harry from his confusion as it walked to his side and spat something to the ground.

"...Uhh, thanks." Harry looked down at the drool covered remains of his glasses. The second wolf gave a thunderous bark of appreciation. Slowly lowering himself, Harry picked up his glasses and began to try and clean them with the inside of his shirt. Pulling them back he could still see they were well beyond being of any use. Sighing, he placed them into his pants pocket and looked at the two huge wolves. The two seemed to be waiting for him, as the one who had been cleaning his face pushed his hand onto its head. It then began to walk, looking at him as it did so.

"...You want me to follow you?" Harry could hardly believe what was happening. Perhaps being abducted by Fey was a myth, but apparently wolf saviours and then guides were real. Not seeing much in the way of options, and feeling grateful he wasn't being eaten, Harry leaned his tiny frame on the wolf as they walked through the forest. The other walked at his side and frequently checked behind them as if making sure they weren't being followed.

Eventually, Harry found himself brought to the base of a massive destroyed tree that stretched to the sky. He could only faintly make out it, but it seemed as if it had been burned in a massive fire. The wolves led him towards a gargantuan root that seemingly opened up as they approached. Darkness consumed his vision once more as he was now reliant upon his wolf companions for sight. Holding tighter to the fur of his guide, the wolves seemingly took great care in making sure he wasn't going to be led astray. As they seemingly walked for hours deeper and deeper into the tree, Harry began to hear a voice.

"The World Wrestling Federation held their third WrestleMania in Pontiac Michigan. The card featured numerous stand out matches, the ones I think were most important were Ricky Steamboat defeating Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship and the main event of Hulk Hogan defeating Andre the Giant to retain his title. Furthermore it's estimated that 93,173 people were in attendance." The voice spoke like an old 1920s radio host and then strangely let out a bird caw at the end.

Light began to retake Harry's blurred vision as he saw what looked to be a large well in front of another tree. He could faintly make out a humanoid figure seemingly sticking out of a wall near the well. Two smaller blobs of darkness sat next to it, one at each shoulder. The head of the humanoid was looking down as Harry figured that had been the one talking. Overall though, this day had gone from bad to worse, to downright strange. As the trio approached, the figure raised its head and Harry could only make out it had one eye.

"Hark, boy and hear these words. Prisoners we both be, I propose an option and challenge to see us free. Heade my words and soon you shall escape the Norns cords." The figure spoke in a rhyming male voice. Harry tilted his head in confusion as he was brought face to face with the man. He had one eye, grey beard, and long gnarled hair that hung wildly from his head. The figures arms and legs seemed to be held behind him and melded in with some large red wall. The more Harry looked at it, the more the wall appeared to resemble a very large stomach. As Harry looked the two over, to his surprise and shock one of the tinier forms he now saw as ravens spoke.

"The Allfather addressed you child." The bird on the right spoke. It's voice was the one Harry had heard earlier as the radio host like sound came from it. Harry looked at it for a brief moment before returning his hazy vision to the Allfather. Harry thought about what the strange rhyming man had just said. He called them both prisoners, and then something about a challenge to free them.

"I'm not a prisoner." Harry told the man. A grotesque laugh escaped from figure as it shook up and down.

"Aye, behind cold iron thou does not dwell. But prison can take form as all sorts of Hel." The man replied. The young boy squinted as he went over the old man's words. He lived in a closet underneath the stairs, he was subject to labor and various forms of abuse, was rarely fed, perhaps he was imprisoned. But here this old man was melded into a strange red wall, a more literal imprisonment.

"Why do you talk like that?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"The Allfather speaks in poetry and rhyme to show his wit and as proof he had stolen the Mead of Poetry and gifted it to man and god alike." The bird informed him.

"I don't know what most of that means." Harry admitted.

"It matters little, as that is a far gone past of another world. You were brought here for the present and the future." It replied. Harry was now very confused, between the wall man, the talking bird, the wolves, and the well in a burned out tree, he was starting to think he actually died and this was some kind of weird purgatory. He had to ask.

"Am I dead?" Both birds and the man laughed at the child's question.

"Nay, thou art still amongst the living. However, I propose an escape from a life worth leaving. Eaten by accursed Fenrir was my fate, and the nine worlds to burn by giants blade. Alas, my end I did not taste, forever bound to Fenrir's bowel in this rooted glade. Here I lay entombed seeking a worthy successor to free me from my doom. Hear did I from ravens Huginn and Muninn, of boy imprisoned and beaten. Child has magic and potential, a situation to grand for me to call coincidental. I propose this boy, a life for a life, however an additional price needed that I can't be coy." The old man told Harry. Harry rubbed his temples as he tried to process the mad man in front of him. Thinking over the rhymes, Harry's brow furrowed at a line.

"Child has magic'? That can't be right, I'm an ordinary person, nothing magical about that." He tried to explain.

"Child, you stand in at the base of what remains of the World Tree Yggdrasil, next to the Well of Mimir, talking to the Raven-God Odin who is bound to the stomach of the wolf that ate him. Name one thing in that sentence that is ordinary in this day and age?" One of the ravens, either Huginn or Muninn snidley asked.

"Child." Harry couldn't help but sass back. The other raven and the old man, apparently named Odin, laughed as the other rustled its feathers. After the laughter ceased Odin looked down to Harry once more.

"Gave up my eye and hung from Yggdrasil. For nine days with no food or drink. Bestowed upon me was the power of runes. Thou art mortal, not as worthy as I. Your sacrifice must be more than one eye. Hang from Yggdrasil once more shall I. A final resting and freedom from this. With this sacrifice the price has been paid. Blind, thou may be, but see more clearly. The powers of Odin shall set thy free. Geri and Freki, Huginn and Muninn. Familiars and companions to you. Desire for knowledge and magic. This is what I propose, what say thee?" The Allfather told Harry. The six year old went over and over what he had been told, trying to break it down to what he could understand.

"So….you want to hang youself after I give my eyes to...whatever that Ygg thing is. And because that happens, the both of us get set "free". Then I also get your animals?"

"Ignoring a bunch of minor and semi important details there but, yeh. That's the gist." The raven on the left spoke, sounding very similar to late night news casters.

"Why me? And why should I say yes? I rather like being able to see."

"There are a lot of reasons why you, most of which you wouldn't understand. But here is one you do, the Allfather is trapped here and longs for an end. You are trapped in that closet and long for escape. The two of you can help each other. As for why you should say yes? Well firstly don't act like seeing is your biggest strength there specs, especially since you've had that squinted look in your face sense you glasses broke. Secondly, this is the power of Odin you would be getting. All manners of magics and powers would be gifted to you, powers of divination, necromancy, runes, poetry, shapeshifting, and more. If anything you're getting the far better end of the deal here. After all, that would mean you could leave the Dursley's and not have to worry about them finding you." The 1920s bird spoke.

Harry thought over the bird's words, either Huginn or Muninn he wasn't sure. He hated the Dursely's and wanted nothing more than to escape. But this whole situation seemed very strange and way above his head. Additionally, despite his poor eyesight, he liked his eyes. They felt like a connection to his parents that he never knew. Then again, he never knew his parents, and all the parental figures in his life did nothing but mistreat him and shoved him in a closet underneath the stairs. Harry stood there in silence for a long time, or maybe it was only for a moment and it just felt like an eternity. Finally, looking up at Odin, trapped to the stomach of the monster that ate him, he nodded.

"I accept. What happens now?" Odin smiled as Harry spoke, a face of relief and hope took form over the miserable one that had been. The two ravens flew down to Harry's shoulders as the newscaster one spoke.

"Now, you approach the Well of Mimir over there." Harry looked towards the stone well surrounded by three large roots and nodded. Aided by the wolves, Geri and Freki, Harry hobbled over until he was looking into the well's water. Even through his blurred vision Harry could see it shined a bright blue and found himself being lost in it. He could swear that he saw almost everything that had happened in human history, and everything that was going to happen. But just as quickly as he lost himself in it, the bird on his right pecked him.

"Ow, what?" Harry rubbed where the bird has hit him.

"Now comes the tough part kiddo. You got to rip out your eyes." It informed him in a matter of fact tone.

"I have to rip them out!? Can't I just say I'm giving them up?" Harry was now having second thoughts on the 'losing the eyes' aspect of this.

"Not with these people no, you want wisdom and power? It's gonna be painful. However, if you don't think you can do it, Huginn and I can assist." Harry at the very least now knew that the 1920s bird was Muninn. Harry slowly raised his hands to his eye sockets, pressing his fingers against them. Try as he might though, Harry either could not will himself or had the physical strength to do the deed himself. Dropping his arms, Harry looked at the two birds perched on him. Giving a slow nod, he watched as they leapt onto the stone well in front of him. Off in the distance, he could faintly make out something dangling from the tree and wrapped around Odin's neck.

Before he could ask either raven about it though, each lunged forward and tore out an eye. What had once been simply hazy unclear focus was now pitch black. Worse still was the pain. Of all of Dudley's beatings, of all the times he had been hurt, none of them came close to this. Screaming out in anguish, Harry leaned against the well for support, blind now to the world around him. Blood poured from his eyes into the water of the well, mixing and swirling within it.

Through the pitch black, Harry began to see. Not the world around him, but a small house with a gate, a cloaked figure walking into it. Following, Harry saw a man who looked a lot like him trying to fight off the figure with what seemed to be bolts of magic. The two dueld until the man was struck by a green beam and fell to the floor lifeless. As the figure pressed up the stairs Harry could hear a woman screaming that it couldn't have him. Suddenly a ghostly spirit came from the man's fallen body and looked towards Harry.

"I'm so sorry Harry, I couldn't beat him." The man's voice was laced with regret and sorrow. Soon an explosion shook the house as Harry made his way upstairs, looking back at the male ghost as he did. Walking down a hallway to a far room, he saw the body of a red haired woman. Her eyes were exactly like his had been, though now they were stuck open in fear. The cloaked figure approached a crib as he saw a small baby looking up at it. The figure shot another green beam out, though this time it bounced back and the figure was turned to ash. The baby began to cry as it now had a lightning bolt shaped scar on its forehead. The very same scar he had. The woman's spirit then floated up from her body and looked at him.

"Oh, Harry. I'm sorry we won't be there for you, just know that you are loved. So very loved." She whispered to him as his vision blackened.

Pain once more consumed his senses, as Harry could feel the cold stone of the well on his hands. The sloshing of water grew louder and louder as he could hear what sounded to be choking off in the distance. Shapes began to take hold in his mind, markings and their meanings. Knowledge of poetry and rhyme, of battle and war, of deceit and trickery, royalty and outlaws, death and undeath, slowly the world unraveled itself for him. Harry drew in the power of not just the runes, but of all the magics Odin had.

Slowly, Harry pushed himself from his leaned position against the well. The pain of his torn out eyes still stung violently, but now it seemed insignificant. The world of his vision was still black, and would be so for the rest of his life. No more would he see the colors of the world, no more would he see the sun or the moon, no more would he read the words printed and written on paper. No more would he see with his eyes. Now though, he could see with his mind. Not the visual details of the present, but those of the past and the possibilities of the future.

Hearing fulluterring, Harry was drawn to the sound of something being leaned beside him. Reaching out, his hand was greeted with a polished and smooth wood. Running his hand down it, he felt that it was a long staff of some sort. Going up, he was greeted with the feeling of cold and sharp metal. It was a spear.

"What is…Gungnir." Harry's own question was answered by his thoughts as flashes of the Allfather doing battle with this spear came forth. The spear had been crafted by dwarves and presented as a gift by Odin's blood brother Loki. It was covered in runes and so well balanced that it would always strike it's target regardless of the users strength or skill. A valuable tool for a now blind six year old. Taking hold of the spear, Harry felt the tip of it disappear, now resembling a white cane carried by the blind. Harry waved the stick side to side, running it across the forest ground. Slowly, he began to walk towards where Odin had been. The stick connected with a mass of fur as it lightly hit one of the wolves.

"Sorry." Harry apologized as he reached out. Patting the wolf on the head, his blood stained eye sockets looked towards where the now dead hanged god rest. The two wolves, once loyal companions to Odin looked now at their new master as Huginn and Munnin took place back on Harry's shoulder. Harry could sense the ravenous hunger coming from the two wolves now, not knowing exactly they had gone without food. Blindly looking up to where he figured the body to be he debated internally. A cold and callous mentality he didn't know he had one out.

"Go ahead." He told them. Although he couldn't see it, the sound of tearing flesh and blood splattering on him gave Harry more than enough of a mental picture. Harry found himself simply standing there as Geri and Freki tore and feasted on the corpse, rather numb to the day. Hours ago he had ran into the forest a scared and bullied child. Now he stood a few feet from wolves tearing apart the corpse of a dead god who granted him powers in exchange for his sight.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." The poem by Robert Frost came to his mind. His choice to run into the wood and press on put him on this road. And now it was time to see where it would lead.


End file.
